Nattering

i'm really annoyed with all the nuanced explanations for why the anti-gay backlash wasn't the reason george bush won. what i find annoying about them is that they set up the issue as an exploration for why it wasn't the decisive reason, and then proceed to argue their claim.

the thing i'm not hearing about is how it factored into the way the popular vote broke. i'm thinking that it was a big motivator for the socially conservative, devoutly religious wing of the republican base to go to the polls in states where there was no question that bush would prevail.

bush certainly didn't waste any time citing the popular vote when he touted his mandate. the popular vote gave him the 'political capital' he wanted so badly. the letter david neiwert received from a reader in a small southern town is telling:

"They even told her she was not a "Christian" because she supported Kerry. They told her that Kerry was gay because he supported gay marriage."

the point is not whether it decided the election. the point is that these assholes decided to explicitly appeal to homophobia to motivate voters to go to the polls. they essentially equated the gay marriage issue with banning the bible in political mailings in the south in the weeks before the election.

bush really, really wanted that popular vote. the fact that he didn't get it in 2000 was a constant thorn in his side.